


A Chance of Normalcy

by ItsIzzyFrizzy



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batfamily, Batfamily Feels, Bruce is trying, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is a Good Brother, Dysfunctional Family, Fighting, Sadness, Slight Angst (Not really), Stress, batbros, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:00:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22461511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsIzzyFrizzy/pseuds/ItsIzzyFrizzy
Summary: Dick has kinda had enough. He’s tired of his family’s inability to deal with emotions properly. After a fight between Bruce and his younger siblings, Dick struggles to keep his own emotions in check.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne & Tim Drake
Comments: 16
Kudos: 518





	A Chance of Normalcy

**Author's Note:**

> This one’s weird, I won’t lie. Kind of like a personal rant? I write a lot of dialogue so maybe is should work on more description? Anyway enjoy an angry Dick Grayson.

“We had it handled!” Jason screamed, taking off the helmet and slamming it on a nearby table. Bruce grunted and stalked toward the batcomputer. 

“I regretfully agree with Todd, father. This mission would be sealed if you had let us proceed with our plan.” Damian snapped, glaring at the back of his father's head. 

“Bruce, we were ready to go. I analyzed the entire situation it would’ve worked.” Tim added, his voice less accusatory and more reasonable. 

Dick was about to suggest they discuss further upstairs with some food but then Bruce turned the chair to face them and spoke. 

“If you three had continued with your plan, Nightwing and I could have been compromised.” Bruce growled. 

Dick couldn’t help but sigh. Over the years, Dick had developed a habit of gaging his guardians emotions through his diction, his actions, and his tone. And he gaged quite a few things. 

First, Bruce was still wearing the cowl, making this a conversation between Batman and his partners, not Bruce and his sons. 

Second, Batman had said ‘Nightwing’ meaning he was trying to detach any feelings toward the nights events. Dick wasnt Dick Grayson, he was Nightwing. This argument was not from a civilian point of view. They were heroes, making this argument more about pride than anything. 

Lastly, Batman was lying. Dick knew they were in a safe position when his brothers suggested their plan. It was a good plan. Batman’s argument was grossly fallacious and he had to know it too. 

“That’s not true.” Dick argued, earning surprised looks from everyone. 

Batman looked annoyed but his brothers looked pleased. Dick didn’t know which reaction he wanted to focus on. 

“Bruce,” Dick started, forcing himself to call Bruce by his name and not his alternate identity. He needed to bring Bruce back. 

“Nightwing, this isn’t up for debate.” Bruce growled, cutting him off. Dick grimaced and Bruce turned back around. 

Dick knew he should’ve reeled in his reactions. Despite what his brothers said, he knew they cared for him and, by proxy, how others treated him. 

All three tensed but Jason was the first to react verbally. 

“If Golden boy disagrees, you have to realize that you’re obviously wrong. Why can’t you just admit that!” Jason screamed, stalking toward the computer and crossing his arms. 

Damian settled by Dicks elbow and argued, “You and Nightwing were secure. We established this before moving.” 

Dick offered him a proud smile but Damian was focused on the back of Bruce’s head. 

“Maybe we can discuss this further upstairs?” Dick prompted after a moments silence, “I’m starving and I think it would do us some good to get some food inside us.” 

“Why don’t you be honest and say why you’re really mad?” Jason sneered, completely ignoring Dicks attempt to deescalate the situation. 

Bruce turned around again and leveled Jason with a cold glare, “What would that be?” 

Jason snorted but it was Tim who snapped back with a surprising amount of venom coating his voice, “You’re pissed you lost control. That we didn’t listen to you like were supposed to.” Tim barked out a bitter laugh, “News flash Bruce, we’re all way past our years of obedience.” 

Bruce narrowed his eyes at this but didn’t respond. He stared at them, waiting for more. 

“I really think we should hit the showers before continuing this conversation. It may help everyone-” Dick was cut off by Jason’s growl. 

“You really aren’t going to say anything, are you?” 

Bruce made that stupid ‘hn’ sound he always made and moved to turn back around. 

Instead, Jason grabbed the chair and yanked it savagely. Bruce was forced to face them again and he looked pissed. 

“You three were wrong.” he muttered. 

“No we weren’t.” Tim spat. Dick hadn’t seen his little brother this angry in a while. 

“There’s no need for arguing. It’s over with.” Dick sputtered. 

“No, clearly it isn’t over with.” Bruce snapped. He got up, forcing Jason to take a step back.

“No, it is over with. We just want you to admit that the case is still open because you don’t trust us.” Jason barked. His body was tense and Dick could almost see his muscles coiling in anticipation for a fight. 

“The case is still open because you decided to go rogue.” Bruce shot back. 

Tim took a few steps to stand beside Jason. He crossed his arms and leaned his head to the side and muttered, “We would have succeeded if you didn’t interfere. How many times do we have to repeat this for you to get it through your thick skull?” 

Dick watched Damian storm forward to settle on Jason’s other side. He crossed his arms as well and he turned his nose up in his own personal show of defiance. 

Dick took in the scene before him and sighed, “Do we really have to do this now?”

His words went unanswered and Bruce moved as if to walk past the boys. Jason’s arm shot out to stop him and in one swift move, Bruce flipped Jason over his shoulder and onto his back. 

He looked down at Jason and murmured, “I was right to stop you.”

“Bruce, come on don’t start this-” Dick began. 

“Fuck you old man.” Jason grunted, getting to his feet. 

Before Dick could even inhale, Jason was charging forward. He tried to deliver a quick jab to Bruce’s gut but the man twisted out of his way, kicking Jason forward. 

Jason stumbled and Bruce almost relaxed but then Damian let out a shout and charged forward as well. 

“You were wrong!” he declared and Dick couldn’t help but roll his eyes and step out of the way. 

Jason got back on his feet and Tim extended his bo staff to its full length before jumping into the fray. Bruce held his own, using their anger against them. 

Dicks brothers were too focused on kicking Bruce’s ass that they forgot about working together. 

Tim would throw a punch only to reel it back in as Damian barreled forward. Jason would go to land a hit on Bruce only to jump out of the way when Tim ran forward. 

It was a mess and Dick could only stand by and watch. 

Now, Bats weren’t too good at processing their emotions but Dick felt like he had the basic skills down. He boiled his emotions down to two solid feelings. Then he could decide what was causing these feelings and how to control them. 

The first feeling he was experiencing was anger. The cause was simple; his dysfunctional and emotionally stunted family. The control part was harder but he would worry about that in a second. 

The second feeling was sadness and that kinda worried Dick. He was no stranger to sadness but this was a bone deep sadness, one that he’d tried to stamp down time and time again. It always pained him to see his family fighting, especially when it involved something so insignificant. He couldn’t control this sadness. 

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at the fighting group. 

Then a strange feeling of numbness overcame him. Why should he care? Because they’re his family. Why should he care if they didn’t?

Huh. 

Dick had no retort for that thought. 

He looked up in time to see Bruce throw Damian at Tim. His two youngest brothers ended up on the floor but they were quick to throw each other off and lunge at Bruce. 

Dick took in a deep breath and shouted, “This is really not the healthiest way to walk through your feelings!” 

The fighting went on and Dick groaned, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and screaming. 

He glared at his family and spat, “You fucking assholes! Why can’t you all just be normal for one goddamn night!” He started pacing and continued, “You know, a normal family would sit down, argue this out in a calm and respectable manner. But god forbid we try and get close to normalcy.”

Dick was too caught up in his own head to register the sounds of fighting stop. 

“I just wanted to eat and go to bed. Is that too much to ask? I just wanted you all to get along for one night so I don’t have to fix things like always.” Dick felt himself crying and stopped pacing, “I’m just tired. Things used to be so much easier. Why aren’t they anymore?” he asked. He heard his voice echo and looked up to see his siblings and guardian watching him with concerned faces.

Dick couldn’t help the bitter laugh that bubbled out of his throat, “All it took to stop that fight was a couple of tears?” He shook his head and wiped a hand across his face, “I’ll be in my room. Goodnight.” 

Without another word he hurried up the stairs to the manor. He felt weak for crying infront of everyone but he felt downright pathetic for not being able to stop his tears from continuing to fall. 

“Master Dick! You know my opinion on suits in the manor.” Alfred scolded, poking his head out from the kitchen. 

Dick sniffled and muttered a quiet, “Sorry Alf.” 

He hurried upstairs, stumbling into his room and slamming the door shut. He peeled off his suit with trembling hands and nearly slipped in his hurry to get into the shower. 

He let the water run over his body and forced his muscles to relax. He’d lost control over his emotions tonight and nothing could reverse that. 

Dick took in deep breaths. He finished his shower and got dressed with slow, methodical, movements. He was still hungry but there was no way he was leaving his room tonight. 

He climbed into bed and let the covers fall over his face. 

It had been a tough week, and he’d been looking forward to working with his family again. But it seemed like no matter what, they were bound to fight with each other. 

Maybe Dick was being overly sensitive but he felt he had a right to normalcy. In his world of constant fighting, he expected his home to be the one sanctuary. 

Dick just needed a break. Then he could return to the cave and act like nothing happened. 

Standard bat procedure. 

Dick didn’t know if he’d dozed off but the next thing he knew, the bed dipped as someone presumably took a seat. 

“I’m fine, Alf. Thanks for checking.” Dick mumbled.

There was the awkward clearing of a throat and Dick tensed. 

That was definitely not Alfred. 

Dick sat up, looking into the face of a man who seemed to look older each time. 

“Oh. Hey Bruce.” Dick whispered. 

He felt impossibly childish. He didn’t want Bruce to see him this way. So unsure and insecure. So sad. 

“I’m sorry for getting mad back there. I’ve just be on edge lately. Lots of work piling up and crime never sleeps and…” Dick let his sentence fade away. When his mouth finally stopped he met Bruce’s eyes and shrugged nervously. 

Bruce reached out and placed a heavy hand on Dick’s shoulder before murmuring, “I’m sorry chum. I always have you to pick up after me that I never really know how to fix anything.” 

Dick stared at Bruce with wide eyes. He didn’t know what to say. 

He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again and whispered, “Thanks.”

Bruce rewarded him with a tight lipped smile before rising. 

“The boys and I decided to eat dinner together at the table. Will you join us? You don’t have to change.” Bruce grunted. Dick felt himself grin and nodded, practically leaping out of bed. 

He followed Bruce downstairs and settled at the table. Bruce sat at the head of the table with Alfred taking up the end. Damian and Tim sat on either side of Bruce and Dick took the seat beside Damian, across from Jason. 

Dick automatically noted how tense his brothers were as they sat but they had the decency to give him their best imitations of a smile. 

They ate in silence in the beginning. Dick couldn’t help but spark up a conversation about one of the newest movies that recently had come out and how they should all go see it. 

He didn’t know how the conversation turned but suddenly Jason made a snide comment about a lack of trust and Bruce made a disgruntled sound, prompting Tim to grumble about a lack of communication. 

Dick sighed and all four turned to him sharply, apologies ready on their tongues. 

Dick held up a hand, silencing them, and said, “Actually, I prefer this to what happened down in the cave. So with less sarcasm and more genuine emotion, continue.” 

Alfred made an appraising sound and Bruce and Dick’s siblings shared accusatory glares. In response, Dick frowned which prompted Tim to clear his throat. 

“Bruce, we just want you to admit that our plan would’ve worked.” Tim stated, his voice even and calm. 

Bruce stiffened but a quick glance at Dick had him closing his eyes. He took in a deep breath and sighed, “Your plan would have worked.”

Tim jerked his head to stare at Bruce in awe. Jason placed both palms flat on the table and stared at the wood, a dumbfounded smile creeping onto his face. 

Damian was the first to shove aside his emotions. 

“Then why would you interfere?” he demanded, more aggressive than Dick prefered. Dick nudged him lightly and Damian instantly relaxed, drumming his fingers on his thigh to calm himself. 

Bruce hummed and muttered, “I already admitted my mistake. What more do you need?” 

Jason frowned and opened his mouth but Dick cleared his throat and both Jason and Bruce winced. Dick pinned Bruce with a cold look and Bruce heaved another heavy sigh. He placed his elbows on the table and pressed his forehead to his clasped hands. 

“I…I was…worried. I didn’t have enough information on the situation in your building and I was worried. I didn’t want something…something bad to happen.” Bruce shut his eyes and Dick welled with pride and appreciation. He knew this was hard for Bruce. 

Dick reveled in the stunned silence that his brothers fell into. Dick was lucky, he grew up with a Batman that wasn’t afraid to show how much he cared. His brothers didn’t. It was a good change of scenery. 

“That’s surprisingly sweet, old man.” Jason grunted. Dick couldn’t recall the last time he’d heard his brother say ‘sweet’ in any context. 

“But you still should trust us to handle ourselves, Bruce.” Tim added, smiling. 

“We are, after all, highly trained heroes.” Damian stammered, sounding a little uncomfortable. 

Bruce smirked, a small gesture that most would miss. But Dick and his siblings could see it. 

Dick finally broke and let out an airy laugh, deciding to let his family off the hook tonight. Bruce finally cracked open his eyes and glowered at Dick, which only made him laugh harder. 

“Does that fulfill your chick flick needs, Dickhead?” Jason snarled, shifting in his seat. 

Alfred tutted at Jason’s word choice and cleared his throat before asking, “If we may return to our meals, I would like to ask your opinions on my newest recipe.” 

“Tastes great as always, Alf.” Dick giggled, returning to his plate full of food. 

He felt light and happy and maybe the mood at the table was a little awkward but it felt good.

It felt normal.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! It’s 12 am and I should be asleep because I have school and I’m a studious person but I wanted to post something. Anyway feel free to comment or leave kudos! Thanks again for reading :)


End file.
